For those of you who flew out of Fassberg from 1948 to 1949 during
the Luftbruecke maybe you would like to know a little about the
history of the airbase. Fassberg didn't come into existence as a
community or an airbase until 1933. In August 1933 the German
airstaff approved construction of four training schools, Fassberg
among them. Completion was set for December 1934 - a pretty
ambitious construction program. These were bad times in Germany and
work was hard to come by, so they didn't have any problems finding
willing workers. The first construction workers appeared at the
site (nothing but heath and pine forest) in November 1933. A rail
line was run into the area and daily trains brought laborers to the
site from throughout the region. It is interesting to note that
what you remember as the main gate at Fassberg, was actually
intended to be nothing but a side entrance. A large reception
building was constructed across from the intended main gate. But
they hadn't tested the soil of the area outside the main gate where
the town of Fassberg was to arise - and the soil wouldn't support
the structures planned for that area. Ergo, the side gate became
the main gate and the town was built where it has been ever since.

By April 1, 1934 Kampfgeschwader 154 (wing) was established at
Fassberg with three Staffeln (squadrons) flying Arado 66, Heinkel
45 and 46 two-seaters. By summer of 1935 all construction was
completed including the eight hangars which many of you must
remember. The main entrance to the base was of course known as the
Hermann-Goring-Wache - what else? Fassberg remained a training base
throughout the prewar and war years, also supporting operational
deployments of course. Here pilots, navigators and gunners were
trained in their art. Over the years Fassberg saw nearly every
aircraft flown by the Luftwaffe. I especially remember the many
four-engine Heinkel 177s and twin-engine Junkers 88s which sat
throughout the forests surrounding Fassberg until they were cut up
in 1947 to be resurrected as pots and pans. By the time the airlift
began only a few remnants of old planes remained on the airbase
itself. All the others had been removed by then. Among aircraft
that operated out of Fassberg was the truly revolutionary
Messerschmitt Me 262 night fighter. The base remained a virtual
secret to the Allies until the very end of the war. Was only
strafed and bombed lightly in the final days - it was very well
camouflaged and not shown on any maps. Of course right next to the
airbase was the Trauen Versuchsanstallt - research facility for V1
and V2 rockets. During the airlift German workers were housed there
in a tent city. They were the guys in the brown uniforms (GSLO)
which loaded the trucks and then unloaded them again into your
C-54s.

There was of course an elaborate officers club on the base - to the
left of the gate. But there was also a hunting lodge not far from
the base, used by Goering occasionally, which during the Luftbruecke
served as an officers club and was known to you intrepid airmen as
Flynn's Inn. On April 16, 1945, Fassberg was captured by a British
armored unit. In subsequent years it served as an RAF base and was
turned over to the new German Luftwaffe in 1956. Today it still
serves as a training base for the Luftwaffe, including a helicopter
(Huyes) flying school. During the latter part of the Cold War my
son flew occasionally out of Fassberg for several years in his A-10.

This is the last of my Wolf Stories. I hope you enjoyed reading
about yourselves and about the truly decisive impact your commitment
back in 1948/49 had on the shape of our world today. I part with an
old German flyer's greeting - Hals und Beinbruch. (Flying today
isn't all that dangerous anymore as it was back in those days).
Cheers, Wolfgang W. E. Samuel, Colonel, U.S. Air Force (Retired).